From 1990 to 2016, the average percentage of obese adults increased from 11.1% (for the 44 states and DC for which 1990 data are available) to 29.8%. As of 2016, nearly 38% of the US population was obese, with 8% falling into the extreme obesity category.

According to the "State of Obesity" report by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as of 2016, five states now exceed obesity rates of 35%; 20 states have obesity rates between 30% and 34.9%; 22 states have obesity rates between 25.0% and 29.9%; and three states and DC have obesity rates between 20% and 24.9%.

"The State of Obesity," the source for the data below, used reports from the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) "Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System" (BRFSS) annual survey. The data for 1990 are incomplete because not all states were yet participating in the survey that year.

II. US State Obesity Levels and Rankings, 2016 & 1990

2016

1990

Rank

% of Adult
Population
That Is Obese

State

% Change
from 1990
to 2016

% of Adult
Population
That Was Obese

Rank

29.8%

Average

168.5%

11.1%(44 states & DC)

1

37.7%

West Virginia

175.2%

13.7%

4

2

37.3%

Mississippi

148.7%

15.0%

1

3

35.7%

Alabama

218.8%

11.2%

21

3

35.7%

Arkansas

n/a

n/a

n/a

5

35.5%

Louisiana

188.6%

12.3%

10

6

34.8%

Tennessee

213.5%

11.1%

23

7

34.2%

Kentucky

169.3%

12.7%

9

8

33.7%

Texas

215.0%

10.7%

26

9

32.8%

Oklahoma

218.4%

10.3%

31

10

32.5%

Michigan

146.2%

13.2%

8

10

32.5%

Indiana

144.4%

13.3%

6

12

32.3%

South Carolina

169.2%

12.0%

13

13

32.0%

Nebraska

183.2%

11.3%

17

13

32.0%

Iowa

162.3%

12.2%

11

15

31.9%

North Dakota

175.0%

11.6%

15

16

31.8%

North Carolina

139.1%

13.3%

6

17

31.7%

Missouri

180.5%

11.3%

17

18

31.6%

Illinois

161.2%

12.1%

12

19

31.5%

Ohio

178.8%

11.3%

17

20

31.4%

Georgia

210.9%

10.1%

33

20

31.4%

Alaska

n/a

n/a

n/a

22

31.2%

Kansas

n/a

n/a

n/a

23

30.7%

Wisconsin

160.2%

11.8%

14

23

30.7%

Delaware

113.2%

14.4%

2

25

30.3%

Pennsylvania

121.2%

13.7%

4

26

29.9%

Maine

174.3%

10.9%

24

26

29.9%

Maryland

176.9%

10.8%

25

28

29.6%

South Dakota

176.6%

10.7%

26

29

29.0%

Arizona

173.6%

10.6%

29

29

29.0%

Virginia

156.6%

11.3%

17

31

28.7%

Oregon

156.3%

11.2%

21

32

28.6%

Washington

183.2%

10.1%

33

33

28.3%

New Mexico

249.4%

8.1%

44

34

27.8%

Minnesota

169.9%

10.3%

31

35

27.7%

Wyoming

n/a

n/a

n/a

36

27.4%

Florida

140.4%

11.4%

16

36

27.4%

New Jersey

n/a

n/a

n/a

36

27.4%

Idaho

194.6%

9.3%

3

39

27.1%

Vermont

153.3%

10.7%

26

40

26.6%

New Hampshire

168.7%

9.9%

37

40

26.6%

Rhode Island

163.4%

10.1%

33

42

26.0%

Connecticut

150.0%

10.4%

30

43

25.8%

Nevada

n/a

n/a

n/a

44

25.5%

New York

174.2%

9.3%

39

44

25.5%

Montana

203.6%

8.4%

43

46

25.4%

Utah

182.2%

9.0%

41

47

25.0%

California

152.5%

9.9%

37

48

23.8%

Hawaii

167.4%

8.9%

42

49

23.6%

Massachusetts

133.7%

10.1%

33

50

22.6%

DC

56.9%

14.4%

2

51

22.3%

Colorado

223.2%

6.9%

45

"The State of Obesity," the source for the above data, used reports from the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) "Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System" (BRFSS) annual survey. The data for 1990 are incomplete because not all states were yet participating in the survey that year.